WALES READATHON LIBRARY: On Our Shelves

The Complete Dewithoner’s Reading List

The Bard, 1774, by Thomas Jones (1742–1803)

The following list comprises titles reviewed and discussed by those taking part in Dewithon, a yearly celebration of Welsh writers and their works for the pleasure and enlightenment of the international book-blogging community. It includes fiction, non-fiction, poetry, plays, in fact anything with significant links to Wales.

It is hoped this index will act as a stepping-stone for those wishing to discover written works from (and about) our small but literary nation. Please feel free to drop me a line if you think anything is missing.

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THE WALES READATHON LIBRARY

Aiken, Joan

The Whispering Mountain (1968)

Azzopardi, Trezza

Remember Me (2003)

The Tip of My Tongue (2013)

Bailey, Anthony

A Walk Through Wales (1992)

Bawden, Nina

Carrie’s War (1973)

Breeze, Andrew

The Origins of the ‘Four Branches of the Mabinogi’ (2009)

Chatwin, Bruce

On the Black Hill (1982)

Clare, Horatio

The Prince’s Pen (2012)

Clarke, Gillian

At the Source: A Writer’s Year (1999)

Cooper, Susan

The Grey King (1975)

Dafydd, Fflur

The White Trail (2011)

Davies, W.H.

The Autobiography of a Super-tramp (1908) – BOOK OF D19

Songs of Joy and Others (1911)

Dunthorne, Joe

The Adulterants (2018)

Eames, Marion

A Private Language? A Dip Into Welsh Literature (1997)

Edwards, Dorothy

Winter Sonata (1928)

Erskine, Barbara

Sleeper’s Castle (2016)

Fisher, Catherine

The Clockwork Crow (2018)

Fforde, Jasper

The Last Dragonslayer (2010)

Garner, Alan

The Owl Service (1967)

Goudge, Elizabeth

The Child from the Sea (1970)

Gruffydd, W.J.

Folklore and Myth in the Mabinogion – A Lecture Delivered at the National Museum of Wales on 27 October 1950 (1958)

Hall, M.R.

The Coroner (2009)

Hancocks, David

Cunval’s Mission (2004)

Hawkins, Alis

None So Blind (2017)

Hickson, Joanna

First of the Tudors (2016)

Jenkins, Eifion

If You Fall I Will Catch You (2008)

Johnes, Martin

Wales: England’s Colony? (2019)

Johnston, Dafydd R.

A Pocket Guide: The Literature of Wales (1994)

Jones, Cynan

The Long Dry (2006)

Kemp, Laura

The Year of Surprising Acts of Kindness (2018)

Lofmark, Carl

A History of the Red Dragon (1995)

Machen, Arthur

The Great God Pan (1890)

Newton, Jan

Remember No More (2017)

Postgate, Daniel

Cenhadaeth Nadolig Bluebell – An Ivor the Engine Story (2009)

Lewis, Rhiannon

My Beautiful Imperial (2017)

Llewellyn, Richard

How Green Was My Valley (1939)

Merriman, Catherine

Barbecue (The New Welsh Review, 1992) *

Mortimer, Penelope

The Pumpkin Eater (1962)

Nimmo, Jenny

The Snow Spider Trilogy (1986-89)

Penman, Sharon Kay

Here be Dragons (1985)

Falls the Shadow (1988)

The Reckoning (1991)

Peters, Ellis

A Morbid Taste for Bones (1977)

Raine, Allen

A Welsh Witch (1902)

Riggs, Ransom

Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children (2011)

Sheers, Owen

The Green Hollow (2018)

Strachan, Mari

Blow on a Dead Man’s Embers (2011)

Szerb, Antal

The Pendragon Legend (1934)

Thomas, Dylan

Portrait of the Artist as a Young Dog (1940)

Under Milk Wood (1953)

Unknown

The Mabinogion (12th-13th Centuries CE)

Various

Second Penguin Book of Welsh Short Stories (1993)

Walton, Jo

Among Others (2011)

Warr, Tracey

Conquest: Daughter of the Last King (2016)

Waterson, Luke

Song Castle (2018)

Wynne Jones, Diana

Howl’s Moving Castle (1986)

* short story

An updated version of this list will appear following the event each year.

41 replies

Lovely list. But how are you defining Welsh? This has been a bit of a thing for me as I am published by Seren Books and lived in Wales for many years but wasn’t born there and don’t live there now. I am a fan of Catherine Merriman – we used to share a job and an office – but she’s not born Welsh either, though she does still live there and many of her works were published in Wales. Must a writer be ‘born in’ or ‘now living in’ Wales? Is that the dividing line?

Thanks Maria. I haven’t been overly strict about this – basically I’ve included writers from (or living and working) in Wales. Far more important is that their literature has significant links to Wales and the Welsh. I suppose it depends if a writer considers themselves to be Welsh or has been greatly influenced by Wales (and it shows in their work). Someone like Catherine Merriman would be fine. There are no rules about being Welsh born. Does that help? I hope it all makes sense!

Yes it does make sense. And Catherine certainly is fine! I just wondered as I realise I am in the outsider space because of not now living in Wales though I still feel very close to it. Probably why I am learning Welsh now!

Congratulations on such a successful Dewithon! I’ve enjoyed reading several of the reviews as they’ve appeared round the blogosphere, and been inspired to add a few books to my wishlist. Maybe I’ll have acquired them in time for next year… 😀

I’m bookmarking the list for future reference, Paula! So helpful! I’m sorry to say I didn’t work in my Supertramp book, but I will get to it one day, and I’m grateful to have your thoughts at my fingertips when I finally do. ♥️

We are seeing a return to spring here, but of all things, it snowed today! Quite the unusual sight! It will be back in the 70s in a couple days! Thinking of you and yours and sending love and warm thoughts, always, my Welsh friend.

Hey Jennifer, lovely to see you. Don’t feel badly, you have so many reviews to write it must be almost impossible to add to your commitments. Spring has sprung here, too, and would you believe we also had snow during the night (having enjoyed lovely sunny weather for the past week). Having said that, our top temperature has only been around 13 degrees (about 56 F) and snow isn’t unknown here in April.

Olive is doing well. She and Lilly have become really close (in a mother daughter way) and she has a new best friend: George, a two-year-old Doberman belonging to friends. They romp about together having a marvellous time. She’s finally getting to enjoy her puppyhood!

I love to hear that Olive is setting in well and making friends and a close confidante. How wonderful she’s getting to be a puppy! Thank you for the compliments on my sweet cats. The kittens just turned six months old!

I’ll keep you posted on the first hummer sighting. The chipmunks have been out on warm days so that’s a promising sign. ♥️ xo

Thank you, Paula. You prompted me to read Garner’s The Owl Service which somehow I had missed as a child and teen. I was struck by how the Welsh landscape was an integral part of the story. This helpful list is now saved for the future.

I’ve been meaning to read this for years as well. And, thanks to the readathon, I picked it up in the library just yesterday. Only to browse through, mind, but you’ve got me thinking more about Welsh writers, and that’s an important step. Thanks for raising our literary awareness in this regard!

Such a variety here, Paula! I still have some reviews to post: books read within Dewithon, reviews not yet drafted. (Plus one I’m still finishing). They will happen as and when I can and I’ll continue to link to Dewithon but I’ll leave it to you as to whether you are able to add them or not. This has been a mighty undertaking for you and I shall quite understand if you really need to switch off for a while! It’s been a fabulous month and a wonderful reading experience. Thank you! 🤗

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